Zelensky travels to US in an attempt to save $60 billion deal

Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, is going to Washington DC to try to save a threatened US military aid package to Kyiv that is worth billions of dollars.

The help has got mixed up in American domestic politics that are divided by different groups.

Mr Zelensky will visit the US for the third time since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

This is an important week for Ukraine because the European Union will decide if it can start talking about joining the EU.

Hungarian leader Viktor Orban says he doesn’t agree with the plan and can stop it.

Mr Orban and Mr Zelensky talked a lot when they met on Sunday at the ceremony for Argentina’s new president. They have not told anyone what they talked about.

The president of Ukraine will come to Washington on Monday. He will meet with President Biden and Speaker Johnson, and then speak to the Senate on Tuesday morning.

The White House said in a statement on Sunday that Mr Zelensky’s visit was to show the United States’ strong support for Ukraine as they defend themselves against Russia’s invasion.

The $60 billion military aid plan for the US is on hold in Congress because some Republicans think more money should be spent on keeping the US-Mexico border safe.

Last week, the Senate voted to stop a package that included money for something.

Mr Biden is asking lawmakers to agree to the money. Last Wednesday, he spoke passionately on TV and said the package needed to be done right away. He also warned that Russia won’t stop at winning against Ukraine.

Although Ukraine was able to defend itself against Russia’s first attack, its powerful counter-attack this year has slowed down and some of the Western countries that were helping Ukraine have shown signs of getting tired.

After the Senate vote, the wife of the Ukrainian president, Olena Zelenska, told the BBC that Ukrainians would be in serious danger if Western countries stopped helping them.

We really need help. In other words, we can’t afford to get tired of this situation, because if we do, we’ll die,” she said.

“If the world gets tired, they will just let us die. “